William F. Baker is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Thirteen WNET.

With a career that spans more than 30 years in the industry, William F. Baker has taken a leading role in helping to shape American broadcasting in both the commercial and public sectors. As an author, lecturer and the recipient of many honors and awards, he is a sought-after expert in the field and a well-known advocate for the educational potential of television.

Since 1987 he has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of flagship public television station Thirteen/WNET New York, a major program and multimedia producer serving the New York metropolitan area and the nation. It is the largest producer of cultural and arts programming in America.

Under Dr. Baker's leadership, Thirteen created the national nightly Charlie Rose discussion program, the Peabody and Emmy award-winning local series City Arts, and its affiliate cultural cable channel MetroArts/Thirteen. Thirteen also instituted the Educational Resources Center for educational program development and multimedia learning.

He previously served a dual role as President of Westinghouse Television, Inc. (from 1979) and Chairman of Group W Satellite Communications (from 1981). During his 10 years at Westinghouse, five cable networks were launched, including Discovery Channel and the Disney Channel. He established the successful national PM Magazine program and introduced Oprah Winfrey as a talk show host.

Beginning his broadcasting career while still a student, Dr. Baker has held a variety of programming and general management positions in radio and television in Cleveland, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and New York.

Drawing on his many years of professional experience in broadcasting, Dr. Baker co-authored Down the Tube: An Inside Account of American Television and has participated in various public forums on electronic media.

Dr. Baker is the executive producer of The Face: Jesus in Art, a landmark documentary film that traces the image of Jesus Christ in art around the world and across two millennia. The Face premiered nationwide on public television in April, 2001 and in a limited theatrical release.

On July 4, 1992, he hosted the worldwide telecast of the Tall Ships parade, which achieved the largest audience in the Thirteen's history.

Dr. Baker was honored with the 1987 Trustees Emmy Award of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which is given in recognition of outstanding contribution to the advancement of television. He has received the Gabriel Personal Achievement Award, two duPont Columbia Journalism Awards and numerous other awards for his work as a producer, including seven Emmy Awards.

His unusual range of avocations includes amateur radio, horology, astronomy, electronics, sailing, and polar exploration. In 1983, he carried the Explorers Club flag to the top of the world, becoming one of the first people in history to visit both the North and South Poles. He returned to the South Pole in December 1988 to tape a documentary about Antarctica, and he revisited in 1992 and 1996.

Dr. Baker serves on the boards of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts East Coast, Leitch Technology Corporation, Consumers Union, and College of St. Elizabeth.

Dr. Baker received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D degrees from Case Western Reserve University, and he is the recipient of honorary degrees from St. John's University, College of St. Elizabeth and Long Island University.